Meaning, God, and prayer: Physical and metaphysical aspects of social support

This paper highlights unique aspects of social support in a religious context, with an emphasis on the practice of prayer. We first discus presuppositions that drive work in the area including (1) adoption of a “medical model” of evaluation and (2) the corollary influence of existential chauvinism. We next outline how religious groups differ from others with respect to the provision of meaning, the position of a deity, and the practice of prayer. Examining the latter facet in detail, we explore possible ways in which prayer is related to physical behaviors (e.g., folding hands, bowing head, closing eyes) that may promote and intensify internal experiences of social support independent of the actual content of the prayer itself.